TV Showrunners Talk Rape-As-Character-Development

The Mary Sue: In most storytelling, from films and TV to comics, the sexual assault of female characters is an oft-used plot device that is often a frustrating “shorthand” for character development. It’s made even more frustrating by the fact that too often, it’s used not in the interest of developing the female character to whom it happened, but to motivate the male characters around her to action. Thankfully, there are television showrunners who are just as tired of Rape-As-Plot-Device as we are!